You hear the gentle, relaxing hum of crickets and see migratory birds bounding in and out of the grasses. You spot monarch butterflies alighting on colorful Texas wildflowers, sipping nectar that will help fuel their journey to México.

The pulse and vitality of life found here will lower your blood pressure and bring a sense of calm. Visit during a storm and you'll notice the rainwaters being sucked into the earth. Stop by in the spring, when the bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush are in bloom, and you'll observe folks snapping photos as though they were in Brenham or Chappell Hill.

What is a pocket prairie? It's is a small piece of land bursting with native grasses and wildflowers that are found on the prairie.

Pocket prairies can be the size of a bathtub or many acres wide. The key is that no matter their size, these prairies are a tiny example of the vast and grand coastal prairie that once blanketed the majority of Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast. This habitat has rapidly disappeared due to its ease of development, its value to agriculture and its invasion by nonnative species.

Prairies are Houston's blue-collar habitat. Why? Our prairies have fed us (corn, rice, cattle), clothed us (cotton) and soaked up millions of gallons of floodwaters during recent storms. They quietly feed native wildlife and cattle, clean the air and provide seasonal color.

And they also give us a sense of place by connecting us to our history. In an age of strip malls, rootlessness and detachment, prairies help tie us to the rodeo, barbecue, country music and other touchstones of Texan identity.

Photo: Jaime Gonzalez

Pocket prairies can provide habitat for wildlife.

Pocket prairies can provide habitat for wildlife.

They do all this without asking for the kind of praise showered on snowy mountains, majestic forests or clear-running streams. Humble, resilient, hard-working: What more could you ask for?

A constellation of pocket prairies

The MD Anderson Prairie is a shining example of the value of an urban pocket prairie. This 1.7-acre gem provides much-needed mental relaxation to physicians, nurses, caregivers, families and patients challenged by cancer care.

You will see folks simply sitting and watching, walking around the well-groomed trail and unfurling their minds, if just for a brief moment.

This prairie is also thrifty. It needs but one mowing per year, in contrast with nearby lawns that require up to 42. It doesn't require extra watering. It needs only four maintenance events a year.

And this prairie is notable, but not unique. We are in the midst of a renaissance with pocket prairies popping up on college campuses (UH, UHD, University of St. Thomas and soon Rice University), on church lands, in schoolyards and in prominent city parks.

Katy Prairie Conservancy, a local nonprofit, has been at the vanguard of this movement since 2010 and has worked with dedicated partners to return prairie to Hermann Park after an absence of more than 50 years.

Photo: Flo Hannah

A boy explores the pocket prairie in the Med Center.

A boy explores the pocket prairie in the Med Center.

The conservancy has also helped start more than 25 school prairies in five school districts and on college campuses and has provided guidance for restorations in some of Houston's other signature parks, including Buffalo Bayou Park.

Why is a group like the conservancy, primarily charged with saving the coastal prairie west of Houston, interested in establishing pocket prairies? It's simple: To bring all the benefits of the prairie to where people need them the most. This movement, once just an ember, is set to become a bright blaze, eventually featuring ribbons of prairies along our power lines and flourishing in new natural areas created by buyouts.

As Houstonians reimagine a post-Harvey city, it's important to ask: "How can we build a more resilient city that is also in tune with nature and history?"

Pocket prairies are a down payment on that future.

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Jaime González is the community conservation director for the Katy Prairie Conservancy and the co-founder of the Coastal Prairie Partnership. Have a question about pocket prairies? Email jgonzalez@katyprairie.org.